


The Great Lion Harvest

by Knightmarescape



Series: Sweet and Sour Candies [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ashette is too cute, Balls and Tea parties, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon, Smol Ashe and Annette? Yes please!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25418842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knightmarescape/pseuds/Knightmarescape
Summary: Ten-year-old Annette and her mother are in Fhirdiad to visit her father during the grand harvest festival. During her time there, she meets the newly adopted son of House Gaspard.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic & Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert, Annette Fantine Dominic & Gilbert Pronislav, Annette Fantine Dominic/Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert, Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert & Lonato
Series: Sweet and Sour Candies [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841116
Kudos: 12





	The Great Lion Harvest

**Author's Note:**

> Annette and Ashe are so cute...but there is so little content of them. So I decided to take it upon myself to contribute.

Ten-year-old Annette Fantine Dominic was dressed in her favourite ball gown. It was a light azure blue satin dress with a giant ribbon at the back. A white fur shawl warped her shoulders pinned together by her favourite gold brooch. Her mother parted Annette’s sunset orange hair into twintails with matching white ribbons on each side of her head. She felt like a princess! She couldn’t wait for her father to see her all dressed up. 

Annette and her mother had traveled from their home in Dominic territory, to celebrate the grand harvest festival in the capital. Her mother said that this year's bounty was exceedingly plentiful which was why the King was hosting a large celebration this year. Such an occasion was very rare in Faerghus as a majority of their land contained infertile soil incapable of growing crops and sustaining the kingdom.

Annette has only been to Fhirdiad a few times growing up, the capital was some ways away from her home and her father never entertained the idea of having her mother and her so close to his work- too dangerous for his tastes as he would say. 

So the grand harvest festival was the perfect excuse for Annette and her mother to visit her father, who served in the King’s personal guard. Because of that, he was almost never home and when he was, he was never there long enough. In this year alone, he’s been only home twice to celebrate her mother and Annette’s birthdays. His duties as a knight asked a lot of her father, leaving most of the work in Dominic to be handled by her uncle, Gaston and her mother. 

Even now, on the day of the festival, her father was extremely busy. Despite arriving a few days before, Annette has not seen much of her father. At most, she would see him at meal times if he was working in the castle, but it wouldn’t be unusual to not see him at all as he would rise before dawn and return to their suite by midnight. 

That is why Annette was so excited for the grand ball tonight. It was the perfect opportunity to spend some time with her father because he was there to oversee the King’s security for the night. 

She could barely contain herself, bouncing from one foot to another, the ribbons following her in every motion. 

“Careful Annette,” her mother’s tone is light, but Annette can hear the warning in her tone. “If you fall, you’ll ruin your pretty dress before your father sees it.” 

“I know, Mother!” Annette huffed, crossing her arms. “I am being careful, but I cannot hold my excitement! When will Father get here? People are already dancing!” 

“Patience, my love,” Her mother cooed, tucking a band of hair behind Annette’s ear. “Your father is with the King as he welcomes the other lords at the ball. Even at parties he has obligations to attend to.” 

Annette pursed her lips in frustration. “But everyone is dancing. Father promised he would dance with me before the night is over.” 

“Well, the night is still young. Would you like to have more sweets while we wait for him?” 

Annette shook her head. Her belly was already filled with the delicious cakes and tarts that were served earlier. If she ate any more, she knew she would have a terrible tummy ache and be forced to return to her bedroom and never get to dance with her father. Also she was a rather messy eater despite all her lessons on eating etiquette. She has done well not to ruin her dress so far, thanks to her mother’s help, but she did not want to run the risk again until she met her father. 

“Then perhaps you should go play with the other noble children?” Her mother suggested, looking off to the side were a couple of children her age were conversing with each other. “I heard that Prince Dimitri is attending with his friends from the other territories, you always wanted to meet him, didn’t you?” 

Annette scrunched up her nose, fiddling with the ribbons in her hair. She didn’t have a lot of friends back in Dominic territory and she didn’t have any siblings to play with at home. The girls from the capital made for terrible friend material because they were all mean and spoiled. And unfortunately for her, all of them were attending the ball tonight. It would be hard to find someone to play with. What was the point anyway? Annette would be leaving to home in a few days anyway. 

Well, at least it would be better than spending the entire night glued to her mother’s side. 

She bid farewell to her mother and traversed the crowded ballroom, moving to the corner where most of the noble children were huddled together. Most of them were a lot older than her and not interested in her at all. 

On one side was a group of older girls from the capital. As Annette passed by, she could hear them snicker at her, their judging eyes looking up and down at her ball gown. Unlike her, they wore the bright and rich colours like red, orange and gold, a sharp contrast to Annette’s simple and plain blue and white gown. 

In the few days that Annette had stayed in Fhirdiad, she had come to hate the noble girls in the capital. They were spoiled and were always quick to remind Annette that she was from the outer territories. So whatever she wore would be out of style in the Kingdom. Unfortunately for her, the trends of fashion changed faster than the seasons in a year. And because of that, they thought themselves better than her, even if she was with a crest. They were a bunch of bullies. 

On the other side, the boys simply ignored he. Being more interested sling shot one of the them had managed to smuggle into the ballroom. 

Despite her efforts, Annette did not find Prince Dimitri or anyone worth talking to and decided to return to her mother, who was conversing with another noblewoman. 

That’s when her eyes locked on to a pair of green eyes in the distance. There was a small boy about her age tucked away in the shadows of a large stone pillar, hiding away from the rest of the children. Even in the shade, Annette could make out his light silvery hair and the warm lights from the room highlighted the small plump curve of his cheeks and the sad glimmer to his eyes. 

He looked lonely, like her. Maybe he wanted a friend too. 

Gathering her courage, Annette balled her tiny hands into fists and took big strides towards the boy. He jumped back at her confidence as Annette shot her hand out to him. 

“Hi!” She says a bit too loudly. Her voice cracked. “My name is Annette Fantine Dominic. I’m lonely. Will you be my friend?” 

The boy stared at her hand, his tiny brows furrowed. “Um, Okay?” Then he cautiously wiped his hand on the leg of his trousers and shook her hand. Up close she noticed he had freckles peppered across his face. 

The boy’s hand was warm and sticky against hers. “...I’m Ashe...Ubert. I-It’s nice to meet you.”

“Is this your first time at a banquet? It is for me.” She asked him, trying to think of the stuff her mother would say to guests. “Who did you come with? I came here with my mother to see my father, but he’s too busy to pay attention to us…” 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Ashe said, quietly. “I’m here with…..my father and siblings. My younger siblings got tired so my older brother took them to sleep. I-I wanted to stay though,” He turned to the crowd, smiling softly. “I’ve never been to a party this big before.”

“It’s really amazing, isn’t it?” Annette agreed, joining Ashe to stick her head out from behind the pillar. The two of them watched the adults spin and spin on the dance floor, dancing in time with the orchestra. It was just like a scene Annette’s story book. Lords and ladies dancing, gowns fluttering in the air, smiles and laughter tumbling out of their lips. It looked like so much fun. Annette want to join them, even if her father was not here. 

She turned to Ashe, grabbing his hand. “I know the boy is supposed to ask, but I really want to dance, Ashe. Will you dance with me?” 

Annette can feel Ashe grow warm at her question, his chubby cheeks flaring a rosy hue. He squirmed in her grasp. “Ummm….” The young boy lowered his head and looked up at her sheepishly. It made Annette feel bad. Was she being too forward? Mother always scolded her for being too brash.

Then he said, “Sorry, but I don’t know how to dance.” 

Annette made a face. She’s never met a noble that didn’t know how to dance. It was one of the first things she was taught alongside table etiquette. Dancing helped the shape of one's posture as her dance instructor once told her. Maybe that’s why Ashe has a bit of slouch to him. 

Maybe Ashe was from a lesser noble house, one that couldn’t afford dancing lessons so early. Though, she’s never heard of something like that before. 

“That’s ok.” She smiled, squeezing his hand and pulling him into the golden torch light. “It’s easy. I can show you!” 

Ashe pulled back, shaking his head. He looked so scared. “N-no. I-I can’t.” 

Annette frowned. “Why not?” 

“I’ll only be made fun of.” Ashe murmured, his tiny shoulders dropping as he looked down to his feet. “And they’ll make fun of you too.” 

“Why would they do that?” Annette tilted her head to the side, crossing her arms. “I’ve seen worse dancers. My father is horrible and he’s an adult! No one makes fun of him.” 

“That’s...that’s different.” Ashe said, stepping back, letting himself be swallowed up in the darkness of the pillar. “Your father is a _noble_. I’m not, Annette.” Oh. _Oh._ “I don’t have a middle name. I’m adopted...” He shut his eyes, fingers clenched. “ I’m a _commoner_.” 

Suddenly Annette felt really guilty. She glanced behind Ashe to see the other noble children snickering at them. That must be why none of the other noble kids wanted to hang around him. That’s why he looked so lonely. Those meanie pants.

“Well, they are just mean.” Annette grumbled. “And who cares what they think? We are all here to have a good time. Do you want to learn how to dance, Ashe? I don’t care if you’re a commoner. You’re still my friend. ”

“Um...Okay.” Ashe nodded, taking her hand once more. He looked nervously at the large crowd before them. “But can we go somewhere else? It’s...too crowded here.” 

Annette nodded, looking around to find a good spot for them. Maybe they could go into the hallways and practice there? No, the guards would find them and usher them back into the ballroom. 

Instead, she led Ashe out onto the one of the empty balconies. The nights were getting colder in Fhirdiad so most people decided to stay indoors where it was warm and toasty. Annette shivered a little bit, but she didn’t mind the cold. She turned to Ashe to see how he was faring and judging by his rather lack of a reaction to the sudden gust of wind that hit them, he didn’t mind either. 

Finding a good spot for them, Annette placed his hand on her waist and the other hand in hers, then instructed him on the basics of a waltz. He’s a bit stiff and his rhythm is all over the place, but he listens well to her instructions and he even looks like he’s having fun. 

“If you count out loud in time with the music, it’s a lot easier.” She explained as they swayed back and forth in circles. 

“I think I’m getting a hang of it.” Ashe smiled, his green eyes shimmering in the lowlight of the moon. “This is fun. ”

“See! I told you.” Annette giggled. She was so happy that she was happy to make a friend here in Fhirdiad and even if her father ignored her for most of the night, she wasn’t sad anymore because Ashe was with her now and he even liked dancing with her!

They danced and they danced until the music stopped from the inside and was replaced by a loud round of applause. 

Annette leaned forward with a smile on her lips, blushing. “Mother told me it’s scandalous if you dance with the same partner more than once,” she told him in a hushed voice. “ but I don’t want to dance with anyone else, can we keep going?” 

Ashe's ears turned pink, his emerald eyes went wide. “But what if someone caught us? Would we get in trouble?”

Annette looked around and shrugged. “There’s no one around here. I think we’re safe.” 

“Okay.” Ashe nodded, lifting his arm with her hand in his. “Let’s keep going before I forget the steps again.” 

They danced through the night, moving from song to song, stumbling occasionally because of a misstep from Ashe or because Annette’s clumsiness got the better of her. They danced for so long that Annette felt her eyes grow heavy and Ashe’s arms started to grow more stiff and shaky from holding them up for so long. 

Annette glanced inside, watching as the adults still frolicked about energetically. They were dancing for a long time. Shouldn’t her mother be worried about her? Why hadn't her father come to get her yet? A sharp pang in her chest ripped through her, leaving a large gaping wound. Did her father forget her again? 

Ashe stopped their little waltz with a frown. “Are you ok, Annette? D-Did I step on your feet again?” 

Annette shook her head, her hair flailing about messily. The corner of her eyes stung with a prickly sensation that burned. She tried to swallow the tingling feeling in her throat, but instead a sob escaped her lips. 

Annette rubbed her eyes as large stardrop tears dripped from her cheeks, sniffling as she tucked her face into the crook of Ashe’s neck. He welcomed her without hesitation, hugging her awkwardly, but warmly, rubbing circles in her back.

“Thank you, Ashe.” She croaked loud enough for Ashe to hear her. “even if my father doesn’t show up tonight and forgets all about me, I’m glad I came here. I’m glad I got to dance with you. This is the most fun I had ever. ”

“Don’t cry, Annette.” Ashe said quietly, squeezing her arms gently. “I had a lot of fun too. If you didn’t approach me, I would have spent the entire night watching other people have fun. You made me feel like I was a part of the party, even if I’m a commoner.” 

“You are part of the party, silly,” Annette pulled back, swiping her tears away. Ashe helped her by rubbing her wet cheek with the back of his sleeve. 

“I really wish we could dance more, but I’m tired and hungry,” Annette confessed. “Do you want to go inside and get something to eat?” 

“Okay,” Ashe nodded, feeling tired himself. “Have you tried the pumpkin tarts? They are very yummy.” 

Just the thought of eating sweets is enough to lighten Annette’s mood. Hand in hand, the two of them returned to the ballroom and went straight towards the dessert table. Together they piled on their favourite treats onto a single plate, then pulled a few chairs behind the pillar they met at and shared their sugary delights between them, their plate wedged between the chairs they sat on. 

Annette was over the moon that Ashe liked all the desserts she liked. He even let her take a bite of his strawberry puff cake. If her mother was here, Annette would no doubt be scolded. It was unladylike to share treats as she and Ashe were doing right now, but Annette didn’t care. Her mother wasn’t here. And she didn’t care that her dress was covered in crumbs either. She gave up on her father. 

The deep timbre of a man’s voice caught their attention. “There you are Ashe, Father and I were wondering where you ran off to.” 

Ashe and Annette look up from their shared plate, crumbs sticking to their cheeks and their tiny fingers. A young man with chestnut hair tucked behind his ear leaned against their stone pillar, his tall frame blocking the light behind him. He was dashing and handsome, like a knight from Annette story books. 

Ashe swallowed, his cheeks went pink. “Christophe!” He then turned to her with a hushed voice, “that’s my older brother.” 

“Already chasing after ladies in the high court? I never thought you the type, my dear brother.” Christophe said with a sly grin, brushing crumbs from the corner of Ashe’s mouth. 

Annette wondered if the two of them were related. They didn’t look anything alike and Christophe looked a lot older than Ashe. Ashe said he was adopted, but did that mean he was the only one adopted? He had younger siblings too, where they also adopted? 

She didn’t get the chance to ask because Christophe pulled out a small white handkerchief and offered it to her. She took it blushing bashfully, realizing how uncouth she must have looked. 

“You are Baron Dominic’s daughter, correct?” Christophe asked, pointing at the gold brooch that pinned her fur shawl together. On it bore the crest of her house, the Crest of Dominic. 

She nodded sheepishly, wiping her mouth with the older man’s handkerchief before returning back to him. “My name is-” 

_“-Annette!”_ The shrill voice of Annette’s mother is indistinguishable to anyone but her. The colour drained from Annette’s face. Trudging through the bustling crowd, pulling her large weighty ball gown with her, her mother appeared before them looking very cross, worried and haggard. “There you are, young lady! You nearly gave me a heart attack. Where were you all this time? Oh _goddess_ Annette, look at your dress...” 

Annette blushed darkly as her mother fussed all over her, swatting away stray crumbs and fixing her hair. She didn’t dare to glance towards Christophe and Ashe as her mother proceeded to embarrass her, instead she stared at space between her white dress shoes. 

“I am so terribly embarrassed,” Her mother huffed, glancing at the brothers while she tugged at Annette’s pigtails. “You must think me a terrible mother. I swear she was entirely presentable when she got here, but I took my eyes off her for a second and she came back looking as if she rolled in the stables.” 

“It’s fine, Baroness Dominic,” Christophe smiled, his voice is light and humorous. “It only adds to her charm as it would any child. My brother looks no worse for wear. ” 

Her mother gave Christophe a very terse, but thankful smile, pulling Annette to her feet to brush off the remaining crumbs from her fur shawl. 

“It’s getting late. It’s about time for you kids to go to bed.” Christophe said, taking their empty plate from their joined chairs in one hand and Ashe’s hand in another. 

Annette and Ashe both moaned in disappointment. 

“He is correct. It’s time to go to sleep, Annette.” Annette’s mother agreed with a sad smile, brushing Annette’s bangs gently. 

The sharp pang in her chest hit Annette again and she could feel her stomach twisting. In the end, her father did not come for her. She was forgotten. 

Small fingers slipped between her own and squeezed her hand. Looking up, her breath hitched. Ashe smiled at her gently and then turned to her mother. “U-um, Miss Baroness Dominic,” he gulped. “Would it be alright if Annette and I played tomorrow? I-If that is possible?” 

Annette felt her heart skip a beat, any sense of sadness and neglect was overturned with pure excitement and enthusiasm. “Oh, Yes! Yes! Mummy, _please_!” Annette begged, jumping up and down, tugging at her mother’s gown. While she would never dare to call her mother something so informal before other people, Annette did not know another way of convincing her mother how desperately she wanted this. And she _desperately_ wanted it.

Her mother looked apprehensive, but Annette knew her puppy dog eyes were her mother’s weakness. 

Annette has a tea party with the other noble girls her age tomorrow, but she did not want to go. While it was important for her to build connections with the other powerful families in the capital, she did not like them at all. At this point, her entire trip to Fhirdiad was a disaster. The one thing could possibly salvage this vacation was if Annette could spend one afternoon with Ashe, her friend that she liked very much. 

“Very well,” her mother relented. “I will see if we can make an arrangement.” 

Ashe and Annette gasped, grinning ear to ear. Annette was so happy her heart might explode!

“You can send a letter to my Father’s room,” Christophe said with a smile. “We can help arrange a location for them as well.” 

“Ashe, you can bring your younger brother and sister along as well!” Annette said. “I want to meet them too.” 

“Um, okay!” Ashe nodded, happily.

They bid farewell in the hallway because their rooms were located in opposite wings of the castle. 

Annette watched quietly as Ashe and his brother disappeared behind a corner before she looked away. Holding her mother’s hand tightly, Annette nestled into the puffy fabric of her mother’s ball gown and sighed. 

“...Mummy?” 

“Yes, my love?” 

Annette frowned, her bottom quivering. “...Does Father not like me?” 

Her mother stilled, dropping to her knees to wrap her arms around Annette. “Oh, Pumpkin. That is far from the truth.” She softly caressed her hair as Annette sobbed into her mother’s shoulders. “Trust me when I say, your father wanted very much to be at your side tonight, but there was an issue that needed his attention.” 

Annette furrowed her brows. What could possibly be more important than a promise with her? 

“...There was an incident involving the Prince,” her mother said slowly, standing up and pulling her along to their suite. “It seems that him and his friends decided to sneak away from the banquet.” Oh, so that’s why Annette couldn’t find him. “And apparently one of the boy’s older brother - the Gautier boy, I think- brought a slingshot with the intent to hurt the younger one. A fight broke out and caused quite the ruckus. No one was seriously harmed, but you may see a few black eyes tomorrow.” 

Annette’s shoulders fell, hot tears swimming in her eyes. That was it? Because a few boys decided to get rowdy? Couldn’t her father get someone else to handle it, even for one night? 

“Did Father tell you this? 

“...No. It was one of his squires.” 

Annette balled her hands into fists, her entire body shaking. 

“I’m so sorry, my love.” Her mother kissed her hair, opened the door to their room and ushered her inside. “Perhaps your father can spare you a dance tomorrow. I will make sure it happens.” 

“No. It’s alright.” She sobbed, tossing her fur shawl onto the ground, her brooch clattered against the tiled floor. It doesn’t matter anymore. The ball was over. "I’m going to bed. Good night, Mummy.” 

That night Annette sobbed into her pillow until she tired herself out and fell into a deep sleep. Her slumber was so great and peaceful, she was not roused by the argument that erupted at the doorstep of her bedroom later that night.

Instead she drifted happily into a dreamscape with a young boy with silver hair and stardust freckles, dancing around and round beneath the radiant Horsebow Moon. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reaching the end of this chapter! Leave kudos or comment if you like :)


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